The Wonderful Things About A House
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Book Description
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
In an oversize yet cozy-looking picture book, Rylant and Halperin explore the components of a home that could easily serve as a setting for this pair's Cobble Street Cousins series. Rylant quickly gets to the heart of her subject: "No matter the kind of house, it is the living inside that makes it wonderful." From there, she conducts readers onto the front porch, over the threshold and into various rooms. In the living room, "there is usually a big sofa," and maybe a fireplace in front of which "husbands and wives who have been married a long time will spend the evening reading or sewing or simply being quiet together." The kitchen is "the room that reminds people to look after each other." And bedrooms "shelter us from the world like no other rooms can." While the author speaks thoughtfully and in general terms about the feelings that rooms conjure for many people, the illustrator focuses on one particular multigenerational family and the colorful lives they lead in their comfortably cluttered house. Halperin's watercolorssometimes featuring multiple snapshot-like scenes of the same room on one pagebrim with idiosyncratic details suggestive of the inhabitants' personalities. Even when the text approaches preciousness ("The smell of cookies makes every person as nice as he can be"), the note of welcome sounds clearly. Readers will want to linger here. All ages.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From School Library Journal
reSchool-K-Describing the individual rooms in a house, Rylant moves from porch to attic, stopping by the living room, kitchen, bathroom, and bedrooms in between. In a quiet, warm mood, the narrative delineates the gestures and activities of a multigenerational household. Halperin brings a multitude of details to life using a pastel palette of gold, green, peach, and rose. Attractive spot art picks up one item from a room, such as a hanging basket from the porch or a teapot from the kitchen, as a visual clue for readers. The love of reading is apparent-books appear throughout the dwelling. This title is similar to Daniele Bour's The House from Morning to Night Kane Miller, 1998), which chronicles each hour of the day. Because there will be something new to discover in the art with subsequent read-ings, children will repeatedly choose this book for one-on-one sharing.
Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By Erin
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Hardcover
This is definitely a book to get for the pictures. Warm and whimsical drawings make up the bulk of this oversized picture book. Kids can follow a brother and sister through the different rooms of a rather busy household--there are different times of day, different seasons of the year, different family members present, and definitely a lot of THINGS (some of them quite wacky) scattered everywhere. Among them are a couple of stuffed animals that follow the kids everywhere they go (one is a winged donkey?!!?). It's almost like a "Where's Waldo?" as you search for them each time you turn the page. The illustrations definitely portray a well-lived-in house that is a ton of fun to explore.
On the down side, the text is nothing to go crazy over. To me it sounds like someone talking off the top of their head--not well-crafted prose, but momentary thoughts. It's almost as if the book was not meant to have words--the adult is just supposed to make up their own story as the kid looks at the pictures--but they included words just in case the adult couldn't think of anything to say. Sometimes the words don't even match the pictures--for the life of me I can't find the dinosaur-shaped sponge anywhere in the bathroom!
That aside, this is a really fun picture book on a unique subject --perfect for some quiet one-on-one exploration with your child.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By Roz Levine
Format:Hardcover
"There are many kinds of houses in the world, from little cottages to big mansions, from farmhouses to bungalows. But no matter the kind of house, it is the living inside that makes it wonderful, what happens in each room that makes it marvelous. It is what the house means to those who live there. Let's walk through. Let's see the wonderful things about a house." And with an invitation like that, who could resist. Join author, Cynthia Rylant, and illustrator, Wendy Anderson Halperin, as they take the reader on a room by room tour of their house. From the front porch to the attic, and all the rooms in between, this dynamic duo investigates each room, detailing all the special things that belong there, and all the wonderful things you might do. Ms Rylant's gentle, lyrical prose is rich in imagery and magic. But it's Ms Halperin's colorful, busy, and expressive artwork that really makes this picture book stand out and sparkle, and she spares no detail in each fun-filled, joyous, cluttered picture. Young and old, alike, will linger over each two page spread, always finding something new and clever every time they open the book and explore a room. Perfect for preschoolers, Let's Go Home is a cozy and engaging read-aloud that's sure to open interesting discussions about your own home and what makes it unique and special. "Happy living."
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By 5. Wars
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
When I was little, I loved looking through books with great drawings that FILLED the pages and left little white space - this is such a book - SO much detail, you could look at each page for several minutes. Just a neat book. Each time I read it, as a mom I want to spring up and clean something, just to ensure that my kids are having wonderful memories in OUR house, as the book encourages.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Let's Go Home
A beautifully written and illustrated book that describe the special moments that occur between families in a home. A must read!!
Published 1 month ago by Katherine Nielson
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Excellent Resource for Kindergarten!
First of all....I would love to live in that house!! I attended a workshop this summer on Literacy. Our instructor showed us this book... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Curly Girl
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another favorite book
This is another favorite book in our house, and is read regularly. Great book to snuggle up and read in front of the fireplace in the winter, and the pictures are so beautiful!
Published 16 months ago by Mamabird4
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent reader
Our grandchildren really enjoy listening to this book and examining the pictures. We are ordering more of them to go home with the kids. They never seem to tire of it.
Published 22 months ago by Tom
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